Building a Stronger San Diego

After graduating from UCLA in 1998, Carol began her career as a classroom teacher in an inner city school in Los Angeles. Her years as a teacher were followed by several more working in HIV prevention, where she served high-risk groups including active and recovering substance users, adolescents in the foster care and judicial systems, LGBTQ communities, as well as communities of color. Following a move to San Diego, she carried her experience as a practitioner in the fields of education and public health to work as a Research Associate in the Health & Human Development program for an education research nonprofit, working with schools, school districts, and community colleges both in San Diego County and throughout the state of California. In 2013, she took a leap into politics, and has been an advocate for working families and underserved communities ever since.

After several years serving as the Political Director of the San Diego County Building & Construction Trades Council (SDBCTC) & the Director of Community Engagement for the San Diego County Building Trades Council Family Housing Corporation (SDBTC FHC) running electoral campaigns, advocating for legislation, or organizing community coalitions, she is now the Business Manager of the SDBCTC and the CEO of the SDBTC FHC. Under her leadership, the SDBCTC has continued to grow the number of public agency and private developer PLAs in the county, alongside the expansion of Multi-Craft Core Curriculum (MC3) apprenticeship readiness programs. And the SDBTC FHC is on the cusp of launching its first phase of redevelopment to increase density at National City Park Apartments.

Carol is a founding member and president of the Progressive Labor Alliance, a labor-affiliated nonprofit that works to educate the broader community about organized labor and its priorities. Carol also serves on the boards of the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council, the San Diego Convention Center, the California State Building & Construction Trades Council, the San Diego Workforce Partnership, the John S. Lyons Memorial Foundation, Run Women Run, United Way San Diego, and the Middle Class Taxpayers Association. She is the mother of two, Rowan and Kate.